Model of futuristic clock that could stand eight stories tall on display at San Jose City Hall

A working model of a futuristic climate clock that could one day stand eight stories high at the projected transit gateway at Diridon San Jose Station is now on display at San Jose City Hall.

The model, itself 10 feet tall, is of a solar-powered kinetic sculpture called Organograph. It was the winning design in an international art competition, created by artists Geo Homsy, Chico MacMurtie and Bill Washabaugh.

The competition was announced in February 2008 with the challenge of "imagining a significant artwork that would measure changes in greenhouse gas levels; serve as a measurement instrument that can collect data for a century; and be sustainable, feasible and educational."

Judges for the art competition, who announced their choice in March 2012, represented San Jose Public Art Program, ZERO1: The Art and Technology Network; Montalvo Arts Center and San Jose State University.

Inspired by the concept of a flower seeking the sun, Organograph would be powered by the sun.

It is meant to show in a simple way "the intangible mechanisms that govern the Earth's carbon cycle and displays how humans are changing that cycle, causing the planet to warm."

In addition to a clock, the 75-foot piece of art would have space for visitors to walk through it to "observe, investigate and respond to the processes of climate change."